“A collection of profound and epic album reviews and musical articles by former astronaut and brain surgeon, Alasdair Kennedy. Reaching levels of poetry that rival Keats and Blake, the following reviews affirm Alasdair to be a prodigy, a genius and a god whose opinion is always objectively right. He is also without a doubt the most modest man in the universe.” - Alasdair Kennedy

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Saturday, 22 March 2014

Review of "Recess" by Skrillex

After
rising to fame on the back of singles and EPs, the most hated man in dubstep
has finally got round to producing his first full-length. What can be expected
from this album? Well, it’s Skrillex, which means lots and lots of impressively
irritating electronic noises.

The
opening track “All is Fair in Love and Brostep” kicks the album off with a slice
of signature Skrillex – a salvo of shrill, sonic squeals (too much alliteration?).
I was half-expecting the album to keep following this formula, but the producer
shows that he has a multitude of noises to offer. There are squeaky fart synths
such as on the track “Stranger” and robotic poodle barks on the track “Try it
out”. Then there’s the track “Doompy Poomp”. I don’t know what’s going on here
but it sure isn’t pleasant on the ear.

Obviously,
Skrillex doesn’t set out to create warm, ambient landscapes. His music is
designed for thrill-seekers. Its endorphin-releasing, speaker-testing noise for
drunk people who can’t dance and rebellious teens who want to alienate their
parents.

And I’d
be content with this it if it wasn’t for the fact that this album is so unfocused. Yes, as diverse and creative as
the various sounds are on this album, none of the tracks feel all that
connected or fleshed out. He’s thrown all his ideas on the canvas willy-nilly without any care for the overall picture and what’s
left is a half-arsed mess. I expected something cleaner from the man who is secretly a mop.

Skrillex in both forms

That
wasn’t very nice Alasdair. Skrillex isn’t a mop, he’s a human being. Indeed, I’ve heard he’s one
of the nicest and most genuine people in the music industry that you're likely to meet and so I feel almost bad for
writing this negative review, but the truth is this album isn’t very good. Any
record with a track called “Doompy Poomp” on it is bound to be garbage. Even the
guests can’t salvage most of the record. Chance the Rapper lays down an embarrassingly
poor verse on “Coast is Clear” and the Ragga Twins offer some of the
most forgettable vocals in the history of mankind. Overall, Recess is an annoying ambling incohesive
muddle that’s likely to sell thousands of copies because, well, its Skrillex. The
greatest compliment I can give this album is that it’s not nearly as awful as that
Jezebels record I listened to the other week (Review here).